Subaru Forester test drive since 2008 SUV

In the forester house

Subaru cars in Russia love. Moreover, not only charged modifications of the type Impreza WRX, but also ordinary, civilian models
Today in our secondary market the most widespread is the second Forester sample of 2002.
Forester from three markets is mainly received by Russia: American, Japanese and Russian. It would be possible to add Europe here, but Forester is rarely brought from the Old World, and besides, they are expensive. The main drawback of cars from Japan is well known to the steering wheel from the wrong side. But if this does not bother, there are no contraindications for the purchase of the right -handed Forester (besides, prices are very interesting, even despite the cost of delivery from Japan). Cars from the USA are also attractive. They, as a rule, have a very rich equipment and are most often equipped with a 2.5 liter engine, and in the atmospheric version (in Europe and Japan, 2.5 l was only with turbocharged). It is generally accepted that American cars must be checked especially carefully. And this is right, because sometimes frank corpses come to us (representatives of Subaru should, in theory, redeem such buckets and immediately destroy them, so as not to spoil the image of the brand). The main danger of Americans is hidden in a murdered engine or gearbox. The fact is that a 2.5-liter unit requires only expensive synthetic oil, and the Americans always differed in that even in the Subaru engines, without a twinge of conscience, to fill a cheap mineral water and ride it for 15,000 km. In addition, remember that 2.5-liter engines are afraid of overheating. Therefore, it is better for the new owner of Forester to immediately replace the coolant and in the future to constantly monitor the temperature sensor, especially in traffic jams. Forester from Russia has both advantages and disadvantages. The pluses should be attributed primarily to the pure biography of the car. In addition, it is worth noting that very often Forester was bought by fans of the brand who looked after the machine and were served on the company service.
Well, the minus of Russians all their lives they traveled along our roads and ate domestic gasoline. Neither one nor the other has been beneficial for any car. It turns out that all options have pros and cons. Therefore, it is better to focus on the technical condition of the car, and not on its genealogy.
With an atmospheric 2.5-liter engine, everything is more or less clear. But there is also a 2.5 liter engine with turbocharged, which produces 210 hp, and after the restyling of 2005 already 230 hp. And this is in the European market, and in Japan he developed 265 hp. (Machines were designated as Forester STI). Moreover, one should not think that Subaru made such Forester only in limited quantities, as is often the case with charged models of other automakers.
There are plenty of turbocharged Forester in the secondary market, and they cost only $ 3,0005,000 more than more modest versions with atmospheric engines.
Do I need to buy a car with a motor with a capacity of more than 200 horses? It all depends on what purposes it is taken for. If as an SUV, then it is better not to look towards such a powerful unit simply irrational.
If the paramount task should be faster from the intersection and rush at a frantic speed along the Moscow Ring Road, then Forester 2.5 Turbo will be the most. Still, because rarely what crossover can accelerate to 221 km/h! Moreover, not even the maximum speed is impressive, but the ability to shoot almost at any speed so that the driver and passengers simply presses into the seats. At the same time, the fuel consumption of the most powerful Forester remains within the norm in the city on average about 15 liters.
Are the 2.5-liter engine and boost system reliable? This question cares about all buyers of used Subaru Forester with a turbocharged engine. And it turned out that with competent operation, the resource of this motor is very large. According to the masters, the driver with the head of 2.5 Turbo can easily drive without a serious repair of up to 500,000 km. The turbine, of course, will not last much, but it will master 200,000,000,000 km. And this is given that it is simply unrealistic to ride such a Forester calmly. When operating a turbocharged Forester, you need to remember about the oil. A 2.5-liter motor consumes it in fairly decent quantities (the norm is 500600 g per 1000 km). Do not forget about the need to give the turbocharged engine to catch your breath for a couple of minutes to work at idle after stopping the car, so that the turbine cools a little (or even better to put a turbotimer). In addition, when buying a mileage of about 100,000 km, remember the imminent replacement of the timing belt with rollers. Plus, the air conditioner and generator belts often wear out at the same line. As a result, a large one costs about $ 1200.
If you have the most powerful Forester with a mechanical gearbox, then prepare the money to replace the clutch. Even if the previous owner did not have time to kill him (or recently changed him), then it will not last long. Alas, they often burn this element, because, as already mentioned, it is impossible to ride calmly on a turbocharged Forester. Replacement of clutch pleasure is expensive, moreover, this work should be entrusted only to qualified specialists (installing a new clutch, which is often changed with the engine flywheel, costs about $ 1200).
But in the Forester range there are much more calm cars with a 2-liter atmospheric unit. At first he was with one distribution shaft with a capacity of 125 hp, and starting with restyled models with two distributions, issuing 156 hp. (in the Japanese market 140 hp). The 125-horsepower engine is best combined with a mechanical gearbox, since a 4-speed machine is not the most modern design makes a machine leisurely (especially when compared with 2.5 Turbo). As for the 156-horsepower engine, there are no complaints about it at all. He is both powerful enough, and his reliability was on top.
They put Forester under the hood and a 2-liter engine with a turbocharged, which was issued for Europe for cars for Europe, issued 177 hp. But on cars from Japan, the 220-horsepower version of this unit is most often found, although the Japanese removed 250 hp from this volume. And even 265 hp! There are no complaints about the reliability of the 177-horsepower engine, but the pumped cars from Japan must be taken with very caution. After all, replacing a boost (and there are two turbines at once) will cost prohibitively expensive. And of course, it is better to refrain from used tuning machines in Japan there are cars with a 2-liter engine with a capacity of more than 300 hp.
The gearbox, as you already understood, is mechanical or automatic. At the same time, machines with a 2-liter atmospheric engine and mechanics have one very interesting feature, they are equipped with lowering a number of gears! Such versions are much better feel off -road.
There are usually no complaints to the all -wheel drive system even on machines with a very large mileage (before buying, you only need to check the frequency of oil change in gearboxes on the service book).
Subaru Forester, by the way, built on the Impreza platform, is very decent handling. This is not to say that he goes better than his competitors, but his chassis calmly copes with the most powerful turbocharged engines, and therefore initially more durable in design. In addition, the suspension is very reliable. Before a run of 100,000 km, she should not bother the owner even on Russian roads (well, maybe the stabilizer’s tents or bushings will fail, but this is not counted). More or less serious investments in the suspension may be required only when the car passes over 150,000 km, but so far there is not enough Forester II with such a mileage. Then shock absorbers, ball supports, hub bearings can be replaced. But it is not a fact that all the details will fly simultaneously most likely to change the elements gradually and without much stress for the budget (although everything happens).
By the way, this is an interesting point: many Forester have cool shock absorbers with an automatic pumping system behind. The idea, of course, is good, because in this case, even heavily loaded cars do not lift their nose up and gently pass irregularities. However, when it comes to repair, it turns out that these same shock absorbers cost almost $ 600 apiece. And besides, they sometimes wear out even before a run of 100,000 km. That is why some owners prefer to put back ordinary shock absorbers with new springs. This turns out almost twice cheaper than buying self -healing.
Subaru Forester of the so -called second generation, by and large, was only a seriously modernized version of the first forester, first released in 1998. But do not perceive this as a drawback, because the first Forester was very good. And the second has become even better!
EXCURSION
Subaru has always been famous for its all -wheel drive cars. However, the Japanese did the SUV only in the late 90s. The first generation of Subaru Forester was shown in 1997. The model was based on a modernized platform from Impreza. First, under the hood of Forester, gasoline engines with a volume of 2.0 liters with or without a turbine (from 122 hp to 177 hp) were placed. In addition, there was a 2.5-liter atmospheric (160 hp) and a 2-liter unit with a double turbine that extradites 240 hp. or 250 hp (and then 265 hp).
In 2000, Forester was a little modernized. The car received other bumpers, a different radiator grille, the interior has slightly changed. And in 2002, the so -called second Forester appeared, actually made on the basis of the old model. His appearance did not undergo cardinal changes. In 2005, a car restyling was carried out. The bumper and headlights were subjected to modernization, they ennobled the salon, and the gamut of the engines was complemented by new ones.
Well, at the end of last year, Subaru appeared the next generation of Forester, built on a fundamentally new platform (Impreza again fell into the basis). The car has become more predecessor, received a multi -leaf rear suspension, doors with frames. The new Forester, by the way, has already begun to sell in Russia.
Subaru Forester II is solid, but an original all -wheel drive car. And although its maintenance is not cheap, Forester is extremely rare, especially if you go carefully and follow all the operating rules of both the transmission and the engine. And a unique 2.5-liter turbocharged motor is able to give the owner of this model a lot of joyful moments, because it turns the SUV into a real beast. And there are not so many cars that combine the advantages of the SUV and the SPORTCUP in the secondary market.
FITTING
The Subaru Forester presented in the photographs came off the assembly line in 2005. All this time, the car was in the hands of one owner, a longtime fan of Subaru.
The mileage of the car is currently quite decent about 105,000 km. This is largely due to the fact that the owner of Forester often drove by car between Moscow and St. Petersburg.
There is practically nothing to say about the breakdown of the owner. According to him, nothing happened to the car for all three years. Yes, and an inspection of the car for a hundred showed that everything is in order with the chassis, not to mention the engine, the gearbox and the all -wheel drive system.
Now this Subaru Forester is sold for 700,000 rubles.
Experts
Dmitry Erokhin, General Director of the Center for Car loans, Ph.D.:
Forester is one of the most popular Subaru models. This circumstance is an undoubted plus for the buyer of the car on credit. Indeed, sometimes in the life of the borrower there are circumstances requiring quick sale of the machine. There may be many reasons. This is the inability to pay the loan, and the desire to buy another model, and some other problems. In any case, it is necessary that the cost of the car covers the balance of the debt on the loan at the bank. Only after that the bank gives the TCP to the owner and the car can be re -registered for the new owner.
However, sometimes the money proceeds for the car is not enough to repay the balance of the loan. This situation, as a rule, arises if the loan was issued without the initial contribution or the amount of the latter was minimal. Also, the loan term affects the dynamics of debt repayment. The larger it is, the slower the main part of the debt is reduced. On the other hand, there is a constant reduction in cars for cars. According to statistics, new cars are cheaper by 1520% per year, and with a mileage of 510%. Accordingly, at some point, a gap between the market price of the car and the debt that needs to be extinguished may occur. So, when buying a 2007 Forester with a 2.5 -l and automatic transmission volume for $ 39,000 for a credit program without an initial contribution for a period of 5 years, the balance of the debt will be $ 32,800. The market value of the car will be from $ 30,000 to 34,000. Fast sale of the car. entails some costs in money, which means that the amount of the proceeds to repay the loan is likely not enough. When buying a new Subaru Forester on the same conditions, the difference between the remainder of the debt and the price of a one -year -old car can be $ 4000. Accordingly, having faced such a situation, you will have to decide: whether to drive on a car further or attract funds from the side and cover the debt.
Denis Smolyanov
Photo author: Alexander Polunin
 

A source: MKOMBILA magazine [May/2008]